Category: Program Category

9. First Draft: Between Fact and Fiction

Antonio Ruiz-Camacho, Amitava Kumar and Marie Brenner moderated by Jan Ellison How do writers publishing across genres walk the delicate line between the management of narrative and its invention? How do they resist twisting the truth in their personal narratives, and sharing too much of it in their fiction? All three writers on this panel […]

13. Rainbow Readings

Manil Suri, Prajwal Parajuly, William H. Henderson and Janice Gould introduced by BK Loren A session of ideas and critiques, poetry and prose readings emphasizing individual belief and conviction. Writer and mathematician Manil Suri on gender roles and identity. Internationally acclaimed writer Prajwal Parajuly has written Land Where I Flee. William H. Henderson is the […]

7. Skin Deep

Mira Jacob and Margo Jefferson, moderated by Nayana Currimbhoy Race history and memory, as well as melanin content and the color of one’s skin, impact identity in both obvious and subtle ways. A session that examines the politics of privilege and marginalization across a spectrum of mixed and morphing experiences of selfhood. Margo Lillian Jefferson […]

5. Twilight Zones

Kai Bird, Simon Sebag Montefiore and William Dalrymple moderated by Nur Laiq The Middle East is engulfed by contradictions, propelled by territorial and ideological imperatives locked in seemingly irreconcilable conflict. Author and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, writer and historian William Dalrymple and Pulitzer prize-winning historian Kai Bird examine the impasse through the lens of morality and strategy, cynicism […]

4. In Search of Sita: The Indian Woman in Myth and Memory

Namita Gokhale and Arshia Sattar in conversation (Screening of a short film on Sita) The complex social, political and religious attitudes of ‘modern’ India cannot be understood without an understanding of its myths and their impact on the collective faith of the people. Examining contemporary Indian women through the lens and perspectives of the goddess […]

Come Clay with Me (6-16 years )

11:45am-12:30pm Caroline Douglas Come Clay with Me and feel the delight of clay in your hands. Let’s play with stamps and use lace or other texture tools to make marks in the clay. Explore making your favorite animal or your hand or a house for your thoughts. Clay is like a mirror for your heart […]

2. The Moor’s Account

Laila Lalami in conversation with Jennifer Heath In 1527, Panfilo de Narvaez sailed to Florida, with the goal of claiming it for the Spanish Crown. Giving voice to the silences in history, Laila Lalami takes on the narrative perspective of the slave Estevanico, who was a member of this ill-fated expedition. Her recent novel The Moor’s Account was a finalist for […]

3. Against the Grain: In the Times of Groupspeak

Margo Jefferson, Adrian Molina and Ryan Gattis, moderated by David Barsamian It takes both courage and conviction to go against the grain and adopt contrarian positions in the face of social pressures and mass opinion. A panel of very different voices examines strategies of steadfast truth telling. Margo Jefferson, the author of Negroland: A Memoir, […]

1. The Poetic Imagination

Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Eleni Sikelianos and Vijay Seshadri, moderated by Joseph Hutchison In a session of readings and conversations, four distinct talents investigate the sources, inspirations, contexts and philosophy of the poetic imagination. Pulitzer Prize winner Vijay Seshadri, poet, translator and anthologist Arvind Krishna Mehrotra and the highly original and ceaselessly experimental Eleni Sikelianos journey through time and tongues to celebrate […]

Catherine the Great

Set in Imperial Russia, Simon Sebag Montefiore’s acclaimed biography of Catherine the Great is a magnificent and evocative epic tale. In this enthralling session he transports us to the love and war, romance and realpolitik of Catherine’s long reign, and her charged and intense relationship with General Potemkin. Simon Sebag Montefiore’s bestselling books are published […]

Against the Grain: On Conscience and Conviction

It takes both courage and conviction to go against the grain and adopt contrarian positions in the face of social pressures and mass opinion. A panel of very different voices examines strategies of steadfast truth telling. Margo Jefferson, the author of ‘Negroland: A Memoir’ speaks of the contradictions of authenticity and identity among the black […]